Governor Terry McAuliffe, along with Virginia’s Secretary of Finance Richard “Ric” Brown, announced that $3.15 million has been awarded by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) for the construction of the Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing (CCAM) Apprentice Academy.

This award effectively unlocks an additional $9.5 million appropriated from the Commonwealth of Virginia for the construction of this academy in Prince George’s County, VA.

“I am pleased to announce this partnership with the federal government to provide industry driven employment while developing a robust advanced manufacturing workforce in Virginia,” said Governor McAuliffe. “Providing businesses and industries in the Commonwealth with a highly skilled, 21st century workforce has been essential to building a new Virginia economy and this new CCAM Apprentice Academy will further these efforts.”

By tapping the combined resources of industry, academia and government, the CCAM Apprentice Academy will develop a sustainable pipeline of skilled, factory-ready employees to serve Virginia’s advanced manufacturing industry.

“Getting Virginians who are switching careers or just starting out the training and support they need to get good new jobs in advanced manufacturing is a critical part of keeping our economy strong,” said Secretary of Finance Ric Brown.

By filling a crucial gap in the workforce skills development continuum, the CCAM Apprentice Academy will provide world-class training that leads to middle-class jobs for American workers. Focus areas of training will include mechatronics, machining, and welding.

The CCAM Apprentice Academy is a subsidiary of its parent company, CCAM, and will reside on the same campus as CCAM’s existing 62,000 square foot advanced manufacturing research facility.

About CCAM

Since 2011, the Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing (CCAM) is where the best of industry, academia and government come together to solve global advanced manufacturing challenges. Members of the center can utilize CCAM’s resources: talent, tools, and technology to build a critical impact on advanced manufacturing. Joining CCAM saves leading industry members valuable resources, improves methodologies, and increases new product introductions. CCAM delivers solutions to modern manufacturing www.CCAM-VA.com